In March 2018, following suspension of the County Council arising from its becoming insolvent, due to financial and cultural mismanagement by the cabinet and officers, the then Secretary of State for Local Government, Sajid Javid, sent commissioner Max Caller into the council, who recommended the county council and all district and borough councils in the county be abolished, and replaced by two unitary authorities, one covering the West, and one the North of the county.[2] These proposals were approved in April 2019. It meant that the districts of Daventry, Northampton and South Northamptonshire were merged to form a new unitary authority called West Northamptonshire, whilst the second unitary authority North Northamptonshire consists of Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough districts. These new authorities came into being on 1 April 2021.[3] Elections for the new authorities were due to be held on 7 May 2020, but were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] These elections were later held on 6 May 2021.
Demography
At the 2011 Census, the district had a population of 77,843, a little under a third of whom (25,026) lived in the town of Daventry.[5] Other significant settlements included Brixworth, Long Buckby and Weedon Bec. The rest of the district was predominantly rural.